Many Ways to Create a Soap Opera
by JadeCC
Summary: Drabbles about nothing and anything: the good, the bad, the happiest, the saddest, cheesiest, most ridiculous-you name it. After all, how can you create a soap opera?
1. Chapter 1

**82. Dirt**

She stared at the glass she was cleaning and frowned. Why. She had been asking herself that since, well, since that day.

Things were simple. They really were. She was nothing but a friend to him and vice-versa. The relationship had ended in good terms. It was mutual. However, when he announced (actually, when she accidentally found out) that he was dating his old college sweetheart, she flipped out.

She wasn't jealous per se. She simply... had this inexplicable feeling of screaming at him at the top of her lungs, slap him silly, and then scream again. And after that, after that she wanted to sit on her couch, watch a romantic comedy with probably a pint of ice-cream (mint-chocolate, mind you), and cry her eyes out during the cheesiest and sappiest moments.

So no, she was not jealous. She was simply confused and slightly angry because her ex had started dating – again – his old college love just two months after they had mutually ended their relationship. Jealousy had nothing to do with it. Really.

'_Right. And this is why you're freaking moping, dusting, removing any sign of dirt from your apartment on a freaking Friday night. No Kaoru. You're definitely not jealous, especially because you don't want to go and crash his date. After all, you do know where he's taking her – thanks to resourceful and vengeful Misao.'_

Sitting on her couch, she considered her inner thoughts. Okay. She was slightly, just a tiny bit jealous. But more than anything else, she was truly hurt.

She had admitted to herself about a week after the break-up that she still had feelings for him. The only reason she accepted to mutually break up with Kenshin was because she didn't want to force him into something he didn't want. He had made it clear. He only wanted to be friends.

She continued musing when her phone went off. Turning around, she answered it with a defeated tone.

"What's wrong, Kao?" A concerned male voice asked.

Blinking in surprise, she gasped. "Kamatari!" She almost shrieked.

"Yes, love. I see you missed me?"

Rolling her eyes, she smiled. "Of course! You were my bestest friend since we're embryos!"

"OK, Kao. That's taking it a bit too far in the 'past' lane. So how are you, sweety?"

"I'm fine. But where are you now? Are you in town?" She said excitedly.

She didn't have many friends, but the ones she had, were the best people she had ever met. However, within that circle, there were even more special people. Among them was Kamatari. Their mothers had been high school friends and after a few years of moving around and yet keeping in touch, they and their families had ended up living in the same town. It was perfect since they could rekindle their friendship and let their kids become friends – which in fact happened after a six-years old Kamatari threw vanilla pudding on a four-years old Kaoru.

A few years down the road, their mothers had actually considered setting both of their children up once they reached an older age – namely, marriage age. Unfortunately, a series of events had trumped those plans. First, Kaoru mother passed away when she was twelve. That had left scars, but Kamatari had been there for her. Second, Kamatari was bisexual but had tendencies to prefer male partners. When his mother had asked him (a few months after accepting the fact that his son had unusual preferences – that's what she called it) why he never considered dating Kaoru, he had replied with a "ew" and a "that's like incest." After that, his mother never asked him again.

During Kaoru's freshman year in college, Kamatari had decided to further his education in photography somewhere in Europe. Besides his random and infrequent visits, he was practically traveling and photographing all over the world.

"In fact, yes, I am." His voice sounded pleased.

Jumping out from the couch, Kaoru shrieked once again. "Seriously! Let's meet!"

Kamatari laughed in the other line. "Sure."

"Where? Let me know? I'm in my PJs but I can get ready really quick. Oh my God, I can't believe you're here!"

"Well, deary. I'm glad to know you're happy to see me. I can go to your apartment."

"Alright! See you then!"

"See you. And Kaoru… I'm at the door."

Opening her eyes in surprise, she threw the phone down without hanging up and ran to open her door. Almost immediately, laughter surrounded her apartment.

Screw her ex. She had her best friend right by her side.


	2. Chapter 2

**87. Ride**

"Let me get this straight. He begins to date his college sweetheart after you two mutually break up. However, you still like him, maybe even love him. You don't want to be petty, but you wish that things between them don't work out."

Kaoru nodded abjectly as she contemplated taking another piece of Belgian chocolate – courtesy of Kamatari.

"And before I called you, you actually thought about going to the place where they're having a date?"

Another nod.

"Sweety, sorry to say this, but I never knew you were a date-crasher."

"I'm not!"

A brow lifted in disbelief.

"They… They just happened to choose a very popular pizza place. And I wanted some pizza. But you call, so… so I'm staying here with you instead!"

"I was teasing, love. It's okay. You have the right to feel hurt."

Kaoru wasn't sure what happened, but right after Kamatari spoke, she broke into tears.

Looking at his dear friend with sympathy, Kamatari dragged Kaoru into a hug. As she sobbed and cried and called this Kenshin guy a series of names that involved references about his legitimacy as his mother's child, Kamatari resigned himself to serve as a human handkerchief.

Rubbing her back in soothing motions, Kamatari waited until Kaoru became a bit calmer before speaking again, "I got a car."

"Really?" Kaoru answered, knowing that this was one of Kamatari's ways to distract her from the pain she felt. "What kind?"

"Well, it's not as nice as my old VW, but it's an awesome ride."

"Good."

They sat on the couch silently for a few minutes. Kamatari's arms were around Kaoru's petite form, one hand still rubbing her back and the other one playing with her long hair. They said nothing and it was okay. Words were not needed. Kamatari's presence was enough comfort for Kaoru.

Suddenly, Kamatari stood up, carefully unwrapping his arms from his best friend. "Go wash yourself and change. We're going out."

Frowning and scratching an itchy spot on the right side of her head, Kaoru stared at her best friend in confusion.

"I want to show you my car, and I'm hungry. I want some pizza." He said with mischievousness, his eyes sparkling.

Kaoru opened her mouth to say something but she was too surprised to say anything. She blinked a few times before matching Kamatari's mischievous smile with one of her own.

He was hungry and he wanted some pizza. She just knew the perfect place to get that.


	3. Chapter 3

**14. Steal**

"Kam, I don't think this is a good idea anymore," Kaoru's spoke weakly, desperation in her voice. "Really, let's just go back." She tried to pry her hand away from Kamatari's hold as he basically dragged her inside a half-packed pizza place.

Stopping right at the entrance, Kamatari turned to face his reluctant friend. "Come on, Kao. We're already here. Besides, I'm hungry."

"But…"

"But nothing. Come on!"

Sighing in defeat, Kaoru followed him. Her eyes were closed as she entered the place. She wished she had never spoken. Really. The last time she had mentioned anything that had the words party, date, and crash to Kamatari, they had ended in the most… interesting situations. One of those, she remembered, had involved wet t-shirts, walking in the streets wearing only underwear, and something else her memory had willingly blocked.

Feeling a pat on her shoulder, Kaoru opened her eyes and noticed that Kamatari had chosen to sit at one of the tables that was easiest to spot from the entrance. Looking around, she noticed that he was not there yet.

"Sit, love. I'll go and order something. You want anything?" Kamatari asked pleasantly, very excited, too excited for her liking.

Shaking her head, she placed her elbows on the table, held her head between her two hands, and just waited…

_For disaster to happen anytime soon…_

After a couple of minutes, she realized that it was almost ten o'clock.

_He's not here. I wonder what happened?_

A bottle of root beer was placed in front of her and she blinked.

"You know, the service reminds me of the good old college pizza joints. Yet, the atmosphere is nice enough for a quick date, I suppose." Kamatari said with a hint of wonder as he sat across the table.

"Geez. Thanks for giving me more confidence." Kaoru rolled her eyes and then stared at the medium pizza sitting on the table. "Are you going to eat all that?"

Wringling his eyebrows, Kamatari shook his head. "Of course not, love. I need to watch my figure. We're sharing." He said with finality as he tweaked her nose.

Scrunching up said nose, Kaoru sighed in aggravation. Leave it to Kamatari to feed her even if she didn't want to. Oh well, that pizza had mushrooms and olives – her favorites – so why not. It was better than ice-cream. Or not.

"That's my girl." He smiled as he munched on his food happily. "By the way," he continued as he took a napkin and cleaned his mouth (really, Kamatari had more manners than she could ever attempt to have even if she went to charm school for months), "where is this guy?" He finished speaking and took another bite of his slice.

Kaoru shrugged her shoulder before answering. "I don't know. Maybe he changed plans." She said nonchalantly. However, deep inside her, she was glad. Although she had wanted to crash his date, she had thought and said so just because she was angry. Right now, she only wanted to sleep. After she finished her pizza, of course. Food comma could do wonders.

"Oh well. Next time then." Kamatari flashed her a wide smile and Kaoru couldn't help but to return his smile. So what if she had been having petty feelings. So what if her original plan had been foiled – thank goodness. She was here with her best friend, eating good pizza and drinking root beer. In other words, even unwillingly, she was enjoying herself.

"Yeah, maybe next time." She answered just for the sake of answering. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she started bursting with laughter.

It was ridiculous. She could not believe that she had actually even considered crashing Kenshin's date. What a man could do to a good sane woman. Seriously.

As her laughter died, Kaoru stole a glance at Kamatari and saw his amused eyes staring at her.

"See? This is how you should always be. Laughing and happy." He smiled as he tweaked her nose again. "You look prettier like this." He patted her cheek and went back to eating.

Grinning at him, Kaoru stole an olive from his slice of pizza and then popped it in her mouth.

"Hey!" He cried out indignantly and reached out to hold Kaoru's cheeks with one hand. "That's mine!"

Hearing the noise and continuous laughter, one of the cashiers leaned forward and searched for the source. He didn't have any customers at the moment. When he spotted the table of the culprits, his eyes widened in surprise. Interesting, what's all he said inwardly.


	4. Chapter 4

**72. Frozen**

Kenshin was trying to fight the headache that seemed to be coming his way. The night had been almost perfect, _almost_. He had taken Mizumi to the pizza place where they had met for the first time so many years ago. He thought she would appreciate his good memory, his attempt to be romantic, but apparently, nothing registered in her mind.

Instead, she declared that the place was too… simple and not up to their levels for a date. Granted, the pizza place was usually packed with university students. Heck, even some professors liked to show up there. The pizza was good, after all. However, it wasn't good enough to make his ex or soon-to-be-not-ex (if things worked according to his plans) happy.

So after her negative comment about the place of choice, Kenshin decided to take her to a more upscale restaurant right in downtown. It was a four-star French restaurant and lo and behold, Mizumi was very pleased at the second choice.

After dinner, Kenshin thought about taking her for a walk to the beach. It was a very nice evening and the sky was very clear. Maybe he could ask her there if she wanted to be his girlfriend again—that was very _romantic_ after all. Yet, once they got there, Mizumi kept complaining about the wind (it was just a breeze, a nice one too), the sand getting into her shoes, and a series of other complaints that made Kenshin sigh in defeat and call it a night.

Now, as he was driving her home, Kenshin noticed that his car needed a gas refill.

"Tonight was lovely, Kenshin! Thank you so much." Mizumi's voice interrupted his thoughts and Kenshin smiled. Almost perfect night. Almost.

"You're welcome, Mizumi. I'm glad you liked it." He spoke softly, his eyes on the road.

"I hope it happens again," Mizumi spoke huskily, "but maybe next time we can stay up late."

Turning his head briefly toward the right side, Kenshin smiled in spite of himself at her innuendo. "Of course," was all he said.

Silence reigned inside the car again and after a good ten minutes, Kenshin saw a familiar gas station. He parked the car in front of one of the free pumps and unbuckled himself.

"The car needs some gas. I'll be right back."

Five minutes later, they were back on the road.

"So how's work, Kenshin?" Mizumi spoke suddenly, her eyes checking one perfectly French-manicured hand.

"It's good. My shifts are more stable and there haven't been that many emergencies lately."

"Good."

"How about you?" Kenshin asked in an attempt to keep her talking. He knew she liked to talk about her job, or anything that involved herself, really.

"It's great! Although one of the cases for next week will be a pain. It's about this woman who's suing her cheating husband for, well, cheating." Mizumi rolled her eyes but continued, "she's asking for half a million as compensation and psychological damages. Well, it's more like I told her to ask for that much. I mean, the man cheated! And he's loaded. He can afford that." She said cheekily. "Besides, it's not her fault that her husband decided to go back to his first wife. According to him, the woman I'm representing spent too much money and barely worked. But according to her, why should she work so much if her husband was that rich? I agree, actually." She spoke even more heatedly.

"I mean, this sounds terrible, but I feel that he married her to be his trophy wife. He knew what he was doing. If you marry a woman two decades younger, one whom you met at a bar, what do you expect?" Mizumi snorted and rolled her eyes.

Kenshin only nodded in acquiescence and then frowned. "Alright… interesting."

"Yes. But let's not talk about work anymore." A hand landed itself on Kenshin's right shoulder and then it squeezed it. "So where are you taking me next?" A smile followed a seductive raised eyebrow.

"Eager for our next date?" Kenshin asked with mischief, his tone matching the mood the woman sitting next to him had set.

"Well, can't blame me for loving the company."

Kenshin chuckled but noticed that he couldn't do anything more since they had arrived to their destination.

"We're here," he said with some disappointment as he parked the car in front of Mizumi's apartment complex.

Unbuckling herself, Mizumi turned and placed a kiss on Kenshin's lips. "See you." She said before leaving the car.

When Kenshin saw her disappear through the entrance doors of the building, he backed up and went back to the road.

Smiling to himself, he thought that it hadn't been a bad idea to date Mizumi again. Their relationship hadn't ended well, and to be honest, that had been eating at him for a while. Until he met Kaoru.

He frowned as the name inserted itself in his mind.

Kaoru was a wonderful woman, one he liked and had adored while they were dating. She was pretty, very dedicated, independent, and in spite of her temper, she was fun to be around with. He enjoyed their time together; however, when Mizumi re-appeared in his life just when he considered having a more serious relationship with Kaoru, Kenshin was left wondering.

On the one hand, he did want his relationship with Kaoru to grow. On the other hand, he also wanted to rekindle his relationship with Mizumi, to get closure. After a few meetings with his ex, he realized that maybe he was being unfair to Kaoru. Maybe they were better as friends since it didn't make sense to be with her if he was still thinking about getting back together with Mizumi.

Things began to grow cold with Kaoru between his doubts and uncertainty. So after he hinted that friendship was perhaps the better path, Kaoru agreed. Two months after that, and with the help of Mizumi's sudden interest in him once again, Kenshin decided that they should try dating again. Things were going well thus far, and tonight was supposed to be the night when he asked Mizumi to be his official girlfriend (for a second time). Yet, it seemed that maybe he should ask next time. Fine by him.

As he continued driving, he decided that he wanted to return to the beach. Tonight's outcome wasn't what he had expected. Although he was optimistic for next time, his nerves were also a bit on the edge. Maybe walking along the ocean could calm him enough before he returned home and went to bed. He needed to have a good night sleep since he had one surgery tomorrow morning.

As he parked his car, Kenshin noticed that there was another car a few meters away.

_It seems that I'm not the only one here tonight._

He took off his shoes and rolled up his pants. He walked for a good five minutes along the wooden edges that separated the street's asphalt from the sandy beach, when he noticed a laughing couple very close to the shore.

In the semi darkness, Kenshin realized that he knew that profile. He froze when he recognized sparkling blue eyes, even from that far away.

Kenshin saw Kaoru, laughing in the arms of a good-looking man as he twirled her around while avoiding her playful punches at the same time.

_Who is HE?_


	5. Chapter 5

**18. Answer**

"He had dark hair, correct?"

"Yes. He also had blue eyes. A really… uhm… pretty man, if you could call a man pretty?"

Kenshin only nodded, the frown on his face constant since he had arrived to the pizza place.

"Did you ask who he was?"

One eyebrow rose in question. "She didn't see me, Kenshin. She was just waiting at their table. Besides, she doesn't know I work here."

Kenshin nodded again.

So he wasn't wrong. Kaoru had indeed been with someone else, a male companion, on Friday night. Sano had just confirmed this.

"Why the sudden interest, Kenshin? I thought you were dating Mizumi?" Sano asked in challenge as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. If he was attempting to look threatening, he was failing miserably. The pizza boy uniform just looked ridiculous on him. Purple didn't suit him. At all.

"Just curious." Kenshin shrugged. "I've never seen that guy before." Another shrug.

"Right." Sano answered with sarcasm and decided that the stupid purple cap he was wearing didn't need to be covering his head. Stupid uniform. If the pay weren't that great, he would have quitted on the first day. When he saw that dreaded uniform. Ugly was too kind of an adjective for it. Pity he needed the extra job to pay his grad school loans. Who knew engineering school could cost that much.

"Listen buddy. You're my best friend but Kaoru is also like a sister to me. You two broke things off. You wanted your old girl back. Kaoru mopped for a while, and don't even dare to negate that. Now she's back on the game. With another guy. They seem to like each other. You have your girl, or are working on it, so… let her enjoy her time buddy." Sano said as he took his cap off and tried to hide it inside his dark jeans' pocket.

"What do you mean?" Confused violet eyes stared at brown ones.

"Come on, Kenshin."

"Come on what?"

Getting annoyed, Sano decided that he needed to sit. The place was empty and he was tired of standing in front of the cash machine. He jumped over the counter and sat next to Kenshin.

"You're jealous." He answered nonchalantly.

Blinking in surprise, Kenshin shook his head. "What?"

"You're jealous. You're all worked up because you saw Kaoru with another man."

"Sano…" Kenshin started in warning.

"Admit it. Man, I never thought you could be such a jerk. I mean, you're already dating Mizumi and…"

Sano didn't finish his sentence. Violet eyes began to turn amber at the edges and he knew better than anyone else that he had to shut his mouth. Otherwise, he would be a victim of Kenshin's anger.

Standing up, Kenshin grabbed the jacket he had left on the counter. "It's just curiosity, Sano. As you said, I'm dating Mizumi." And with that, Kenshin left the pizza place.

Watching his angry friend leave, Sano grabbed a toothpick from one of the toothpick holders and placed it between his lips. "Sure buddy. Keep telling yourself that."


	6. Chapter 6

I made a mistake and posted the chapter that was supposed to go after this one earlier. My bad. I've corrected the mistake.

**15. Love**

It had been almost two weeks since Kamatari had come to visit her and Kaoru had to admit that she was having a blast.

He took her out for dinner or cooked for her every night after she was done with work during the weekdays. On the weekend, it was her turn to take responsibility for the meals.

He also took her shopping since, according to him, her closet was good for a first year law student—not so much for an actual lawyer.

In spite of being a couple of hundred of dollars poorer, Kaoru had to praise Kamatari for knowing how to dress a woman. Of course, she wouldn't tell a soul that her best friend, who happened to be bisexual, was responsible for her sudden good taste though. She had a reputation to maintain.

It was Thursday night and they decided to go back to the pizza place. The mushroom and olive pizza had been delicious and they felt like having junk food again.

Once they arrived, instead of looking for a table first, they decided to go up straight to the counter and order their food and drinks.

When they went to pay for their food, Kaoru blinked in surprise when she recognized the cashier.

"Sano! What are you doing here?"

Smiling and winking, Sano replied, "Gotta pay school. Need the extra cash. How's it going, Kaoru?"

Nodding in understanding, Kaoru gave him a piece of paper that had her order listed on it, "Pretty good. By the way, purple is not your color." She said in a teasing tone.

"Har har," Sano replied as he took the two twenty bills she gave him, "so who is he?" He pointed to Kamatari with a head motion.

Turning her head slightly to her left, she smiled at Kamatari, who had lifted a brow in question. She turned back to look at Sano and took her change back before replying. "He's Kamatari. He's been my best friend since we were embryos."

Both men scrunched up their noses at the term.

"I told you not to say that, love. It's… weird." Kamatari spoke as he took their food orders from the counter. "Nice meeting you." He added looking now at Sano.

"Sano's the name. Nice meeting you too." Sano acknowledged. "I thought the weasel was your best friend?"

Kaoru just shrugged. "She's my best female friend."

After exchanging confused looks, Sano and Kamatari sighed. Leave it to women to differentiate between female and male best friends.

"Whatever," Sano said after a brief pause. "Anyhow. Enjoy your pizza missy," he smiled, "you're still coming on Sunday right?"

"Of course."

"Alright. Talk to you later then, and bring your best male friend too. The more the merrier!" Sano called as Kaoru and Kamatari started to move away.

Instead of replying, Kaoru simply raised a hand and motioned both her acknowledgement and her goodbye.

"What's going on Sunday?" Kamatari asked as he placed their food on a table that Kaoru had chosen. It was next to one big window and had a clear view of the coffee shop that was across the street.

Taking her jacket off, Kaoru took a sip of her water before replying. "We get together once a month for lunch. Usually it's the second Sunday of every month, and if the weather is nice, it's a picnic."

"And when you say "we" you mean just Sano and you?" Kamatari asked as he took a slice of their pizza.

"Nope. His girlfriend tags along if she doesn't have a shift at the local hospital, and then there's Misao and her fiancée. And well," Kaoru stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, "Kenshin comes as well. Although last time he didn't since he… had a date with his ex." She finished speaking with a sad tone, her eyes downcast.

Lifting her chin with his free hand, Kamatari shook his head. "Stop it, love. You promised, remember? No more mopping." Tweaking her nose playfully, he flashed a brilliant grin, "you look prettier when you smile."

Giggling, Kaoru moved his hand away from her nose yet held it in front of her face so she could see his slim fingers. "What's with you and my nose?"

"It's cute," he winked.

Placing his hand on the table Kaoru let a small laugh out before taking a slice of pizza. "You know, if I didn't know you like men better, I'd try to flirt with you and make you my boyfriend."

Kamatari almost choke on his pizza before he started to laugh. Once he was calm enough, he took a sip of his soda before speaking, "Even if I'm your best friend?"

"Yeah."

"You know that a romantic relationship between best friends can screw things up, right?"

Snorting, Kaoru leaned against the back of her seat.

"Perhaps. But think about it. When you like someone, first you attempt to befriend him or her. As the relationship develops, so does your friendship even though it is in a more romantic way. Eventually, that person becomes your best friend. This is why some women will say their boyfriends are their best friends, and vice versa."

Kaoru stretched a hand to take Kamatari's soda. Ignoring his cry of indignation, she placed his glass back on the table after taking two sips. "So dating a best friend shouldn't screw things up, at least not in theory, because at the end of the day, your partner will become your best friend in one way or another."

As Kamatari pondered about her words, Kaoru took a large bite of her pizza. She continued eating when the man sitting in front of her broke the silence.

"It makes sense and yet it's not that simple," he rubbed his chin, "so does that mean you're harboring a secret crush on me even though you announced long ago that dating me would be like dating your own brother?"

"And the fact that you're gay?"

"Bisexual, darling."

"Same difference. You like men better."

"Whatever. Answer my question."

Placing one elbow on the table, she held her head as she chewed her pizza carefully.

"Well, I wouldn't call it a crush. I like you, as a friend. Yet, I care for you deeply—more than a friend would care for another. You're like a brother to me but you are not. And I'm aware of it. You're attractive but that's not important."

"Hey!" Kamatari interrupted. Kaoru only rolled her eyes.

"You've always been there for me, even though you have been gone for so long and I only get to see you like once or twice every year. You know everything about me and I know everything about you as well, and we're comfortable with each other. I could say that I love you, but not necessarily in a romantic way. However, I wouldn't say that I love you like a brother either. So, it's more like a love caught in the middle. I could make out with you and maybe feel butterflies in my stomach, but I wouldn't sleep with you. That'd be yucky."

Tilting his head to one side in confusion, Kamatari opened his mouth to speak but no words came out at the first try. A few seconds later, he was finally able to utter something.

"You know? You're crazy. That didn't make sense at all."

"Who said it had to be sensible? Haven't you learned? Love is confusing."

"Right. I stand by my initial comments. I think you're on crack. But I love you too, though I don't think my love is as confusing as yours."

Both of them picked up their own slices and started eating again. After a few minutes of silent chewing, Kamatari was the first to break the silence.

"So you really wouldn't mind if I kiss you?"

"You've done that before," Kaoru shrugged.

"In a brotherly way," Kamatari reminded. "Oh my, don't tell me you felt, and I quote, butterflies in your stomach, when I kissed you before." He said with a disgusted tone. "You're making me feel like a… an incestuous being!"

Shaking her head at his dramatics, Kaoru decided to ignore him.

Noticing her intentions, Kamatari became frantic.

"Clarify, Kaoru Kamiya! You're flipping me out!"

To avoid a potentially embarrassing scene, Kaoru decided to give him a break.

"I said if I made out with you. We never made out. We kissed, as you said, in a brotherly/sisterly way. That, my dear best friend, doesn't involve tongues, or sucking, or licking, or nibbling. They were just pecks on the lips." Kaoru said as a matter of fact.

"Lord, you're grossing me out."

Pressing a finger against her forehead, Kamatari continued speaking.

"You know? I think that breaking up with that Kenshin guy has affected your brains."

Grabbing his finger, Kaoru removed it from her head.

"I said maybe. We could try making out and see what happens." She said seriously.

"You're kidding right?" Kamatari exclaimed incredulously.

Shrugging, Kaoru noticed how Kamatari's face suddenly became a mix of green and blue. It looked as if he would become sick. Not able to hold it anymore, she burst out in laughter. When her laughter died, it was her turn to tweak his nose.

"You're so easy to get."

Kamatari blinked at her in confusion and then just stared at amused blue eyes.

"I was joking about the making out and feeling butterflies part. I just wanted to see how you'd react." She flashed a cheeky grin at him. "But the rest is true. If it wasn't because we grew up together, I'd consider dating you."

Kamatari glared at her before he suddenly reached over the table and held her face with his hands. Opening her mouth to blurt a protest, Kaoru's eyes widened in surprise when she felt Kamatari's tongue in her mouth. Before her mind registered what was happening, she was making out with her best friend.

The kiss only lasted for a few seconds and then they broke apart. Both of them sat in silence as they calmed themselves and considered what had just happened. Kaoru was the first to speak.

"Nasty."

"I echo the sentiment."

Both of them sighed in relief.

"I can't believe you just kissed me like that!"

"I can't believe you actually kissed me back!"

They broke out in laughter.

"So that means you'll never date me." Kamatari announced with satisfaction when they stopped laughing. "Thank goodness. I didn't want to worry about finding a way to convince my best friend that I don't want to date her."

He looked at Kaoru and smirked at her glaring expression.

"Don't get me wrong, love. I adore you but I don't think I could ever think of you in a romantic way. And as you said, I tend to favor men over women." He winked at her.

Kaoru stuck her tongue out as she crossed her arms in front of her. Smiling at her childish antics, Kamatari stood up from his chair and picked up their food tray.

"Come on, love." He said as he started toward one of the trash boxes. Dumping the food remains inside said box, he turned to where Kaoru was standing next to him and hugged her waist with one arm.

"Don't sulk, darling." He pressed his lips against the corner of her mouth just to spite her and squeezed her waist. "You're still the only woman I love. Besides my mom, that is."

Swatting the back of his head, Kaoru mumbled the word idiot as she leaned her head against one shoulder.

As they left through the other entrance at the other end of the place, they never noticed the glaring violet eyes following their exit.

Unbeknownst to the couple, those eyes had witnessed their interaction the entire time. They had been tinted with amber when they had made out.


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter was supposed to go after "Love." My bad. I've fixed the order.

**75. News**

Kamatari watched in amusement as Kaoru went back to her bedroom for the fourth time. She had finished asking him if the skirt she was wearing looked good or if it was too slutty.

He vaguely heard the growl of frustration coming from down the narrow hallway and raised an eyebrow as Kaoru sauntered, yet again, into the living room wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a sleeveless top.

"How about this one?"

Eyeing her with the corner of his eyes, Kamatari hummed for a bit longer than necessary-—according to Kaoru's mind—-and nodded his approval.

"Looks fine," was his simple answer.

"What do you mean with 'looks fine'?

"That it looks fine on you."

"And?"

"And what else, Kaoru?" Kamatari sighed.

Since she found out that Kenshin and his ex turned non-ex would be present at today's lunch, there wasn't a single day in which she didn't freak out about what to bring for food, what to wear, or even how her hair should look like.

She was acting like a maniac, and although it had been amusing at first, it was getting tiring.

"Kaoru," Kamatari started as he took two steps from the sofa to where she was standing, "the yellow top was lovely, the skirt was nice, the pants before the skirt were fine as well. The jacket you showed me at the beginning was fine too. This shirt," he pulled at the hem, "is nice, and so the pants. There was nothing wrong with your previous outfits and there's nothing wrong with this one either. We're going there to have fun with your friends. Stop being crazy. You're stressing yourself out without any reason."

"But…"

"But nothing Kaoru. He will be there. His ex will be there. So what? You told me that it was a mutual decision to break things off, but I can tell that you did it just to make him happy. He's a jerk if he wanted to go back to his, and I quote Misao, annoying, arrogant ex. You deserve better." Kamatari finished, his hands on Kaoru's shoulders.

Yesterday, he had met with Misao—-Kaoru's female best friend, as she had so eloquently mentioned the night he met Sano. Misao was, for lack of a better word, hyperactive. And that was an understatement. That woman could climb the Everest and announce that she would like to climb Kilimanjaro right afterwards. Nevertheless, she was a fun person to be with, and from his point of view, she was also a great friend. Someone Kaoru could trust and rely on when he was not with her and needed someone by her side—which is precisely what happened during the last couple of weeks after Kaoru's break-up.

Misao, Kamatari had found out, was not fond of this Kenshin guy's ex. According to her, this woman had been her classmate during her first year in law school, the same school Kaoru had graduated from last year. Misao had been formally introduced to the woman when Kenshin introduced her as his girlfriend during one outting. She and Kenshin had met through Aoshi, her current fiancé, when Kenshin and Aoshi were attending medical school and she was a third year student at the college associated with their school. Life and its twisted coincidences. And a small world. Tiny tiny world.

Misao said that she had always considered Kenshin's ex a bit arrogant from class experiences. But knowing her in a closer environment hadn't changed nor improved her opinion of this woman. Instead, she had become even more annoying. Misao believed that Kenshin's ex was manipulative when she wanted to be (she was a lawyer too after all), but instead of using her abilities to help people, she mostly used them for her own interests. Things had to be done her way. It was that or the highway.

Hearing Misao rant and badmouth the woman who had indirectly caused pain to Kaoru had been funny, but also, very insightful. Kamatari didn't know much about Kenshin except that Kaoru liked him a lot—-probably since the day she had met him about a bit over a year ago. He had the initial impression that Kenshin was a good guy, but after what had happened, perhaps he had been wrong. What kind of man would dump his girlfriend as soon as his ex came back to the picture? A jerk. That's what Kamatari had concluded. A jerk Kaoru shouldn't be mopping for.

Moving a loose strand of hair behind Kaoru's ear, Kamatari cupped her cheeks as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"You deserve much better Kaoru. You'll find your prince charming. He's not Kenshin."

With misty eyes, Kaoru nodded. "You're right." She murmured before she walked back to her room.

Smiling at his ability to cheer her up—-he was _that _good—-Kamatari went back to his position on the sofa and turned the TV on.

"Hey Kam, could you please take the macaroni salad out from the fridge?" Kaoru's voice asked from her bedroom.

Kamatari sighed in defeat and turned the TV off. He supposed that was his cue to start getting ready for the forsaken 'getting together' that had riled up his best friend for the last couple of days.

But if he was honest to himself, he had to admit that the sooner he met this Kenshin guy, the better. That way, he could finally decide whether or not to make his life a living hell or just let it go. Nobody messed up with his best friend's feelings if he had a say in it!


	8. Chapter 8

**60. Game**

"You sure?"

He rolled his eyes once.

"I mean, it's okay. Right?"

He simply sighed.

"Come on!"

Hands tightened against the steering wheel.

Rosy lips pouted prettily.

"Don't ignore me."

He shook his head.

"Kamatari!"

He sighed in defeat and turned to look at his companion for a brief moment before his eyes went back to the road.

"Kaoru, we already went over this at the apartment. I'll make a decision once we get there."

"But, Kam…"

"I've decided and that's it. You won't change my mind."

Huffing in annoyance, Kaoru sat back on her seat and crossed her arms. If he wanted to play games, to make a fool of himself, fine. But if he wanted to drag her in his games, he was wrong. Very wrong.

"I'm not trying to ridicule you, Kaoru," Kamatari said as if he was reading her mind, "I promise nothing will happen to you."

Thinking about it for a few seconds, Kaoru nodded.

"Alright. But don't hurt him… too much, okay?"

As she finished speaking, they arrived to their destination. Showing a feral smile, Kamatari unbuckled himself and turned to Kaoru before stepping out of the car.

"We'll see."

And with that, he left the car and a blinking Kaoru. Unbuckling her own seatbelt, Kaoru also stepped out.

"Well, this will be very good or very bad." She shrugged as she went to the trunk and helped Kamatari take out the food and some things for the picnic.


	9. Chapter 9

**17. Threat**

"Kenshin, hun, do you want more lemonade?"

No answer

"Kenshin…"

Silence

"Kenshin!"

"Ah?" He finally turned to look at the woman who was offering a glass of lemonade to him. "Oh, thanks, Mizumi."

"What's wrong with you? You have been spacing out since we came," Mizumi asked with a frown. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I was just thinking." And with that answer, Kenshin's tone made it clear that he didn't want to give more explanations.

Sitting not too very far from the couple, Sano smirked.

_Thinking about the missy, you mean._

Kenshin might have wanted to pursue Mizumi again, but Sano was not stupid, even if the redhead did not want to admit it, he still had feelings for Kaoru.

Truth to be told, breaking up with her was probably the most idiotic thing Kenshin could have done in his life. While he declared that he wanted to try things out with Mizumi _again_, Kenshin never considered asking her to move in with him when they were together. Not even after having a relationship for five years, two of which were continuous while the other three were an on and off affair starting from his college years until the first years of medical school.

Sano had to give it to Mizumi, though. She did know how to persuade Kenshin to take her back, especially when he was just starting to become known and well respected in his field. Currently in the middle of his medical residency, Kenshin was considered a raising star.

Mizumi was not evil per se, though. In spite of her twisted sense of what or who should be defended, she liked Kenshin when they were dating in the past. To what degree she was really interested in him now—that was the million-dollar question. But if Kenshin wanted to give it a shot, more power to him. Sano just hoped that by the time his friend realized that Kaoru was what he really was looking for, it wasn't too late. And from what he had seen in the last couple of days, Kenshin had better hurry up.

"Hey Megumi!" Sano then yelled to the three figures playing Frisbee some distance away from their table at the park. "I think we can start grilling now! Missy has finally arrived!" He announced since he had noticed the distinctive dark-haired woman getting out of a car at the park's parking lot. She was far, but Sanosuke Sagara had the vision of a hawk.

As soon as Sano said that, Kenshin turned around his head and squinted his eyes. Indeed it was Kaoru, and as Sano had told him earlier, she was arriving with the man she had been kissing a few days ago.

He was curious. He wanted to know who he was. He didn't remember Kaoru mentioning a man with this guy's characteristics. They were not dating anymore but they were still friends. She would have told him about this guy (he knew by memory all the men Kaoru had as friends, appearance and all!).

Ignoring the frowning face of his female companion (when she noticed that he was paying perhaps a little too much attention to the newcomer), Kenshin continued observing the two people still in the parking lot. He saw how they went to the car's trunk and the guy took a big bowl out. He saw how the guy shook his head and then laughed as he handed the bowl to Kaoru. Kenshin became a bit uneasy when the guy kissed the top of Kaoru's head as she pouted after he gave her the bowl. The guy then too out a medium-sized box and after closing the trunk, they started walking toward their table.

They looked very comfortable with each other, as if they had known each other for years. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Kenshin didn't like the fact that Kaoru was so familiar with that guy. From what Kenshin had seen, whenever she was with him, she was always laughing and looking as if she was having the greatest time of her life.

"Hey, missy! Kamatari, right? Glad to see you joined us!" Sano cried happily, his arms sneaking around Megumi's waist as soon as she arrived to stand by his side.

Kaoru smiled and Kamatari did the same.

"So everyone. You already know missy, or Kaoru," Sano quickly amended as soon as realized that Mizumi was in fact not that acquainted with Kaoru. Sano wasn't sure how much Kenshin had told her about his past relationship with Kaoru, if at all. "And this is her companion, Kamatari." He indicated with his head.

"Hello everyone. Nice to meet you all," Kamatari replied easily, his arms still carrying a box with utensils, plates, and cups.

"This is Misao," Sano started, pointing to a petite black-haired woman with green eyes, "her boyfriend Aoshi," next to her was a tall man with passive blue eyes and short black hair. "The lovely woman standing next to me is my Megumi. The redhead over there is Kenshin, and that is his _friend_, Mizumi." Nobody noticed how Sano had purposely emphasized the word friend. They were all inspecting the newcomer.

"And I'm Kamatari. Again, I'm pleased to meet you. Thank you very much for letting me come to this picnic. I hope I'm not intruding," Kamatari continued smiling and then he finally placed the box on the corner of the table.

"You're not intruding. We're more than happy to meet some of Kaoru's closest friends!" Misao chirped happily, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. It seemed that nobody except Kaoru, knew that she and Kamatari had already met a few days ago when she burst into Kaoru's apartment demanding who was the man who had answered the phone when she had called.

"So what did you bring?" Misao asked as she took the bowl Kaoru was holding.

"Macaroni salad."

"You didn't make it, right?" Sano asked cautiously, Kaoru could be good at many things. Unfortunately, cooking wasn't her forte except for simple, very simple things. Like boiling water. Macaroni salad sounded a bit… too complex for her to handle.

"What do you mean, Sagara?" Kaoru asked testily, "I'll let you know that it tastes great. If not, ask Kam, right?" She turned to Kamatari who had taken a seat and was now pouring some lemonade to a glass (who would bring glass to a picnic? It seemed that they might not use the plastic cups after all).

"Of course, love." Kaoru felt the smile Kamatari gave her was slightly condescending. "Indeed. It tastes good. And I was there when she was making it. So no worries about her mixing the wrong ingredients or putting too much vinegar." He continued saying, addressing the rest of the party.

"Hey!"

All the meanwhile, Kenshin was simply observing them. Sano was right. This Kamatari fellow was a "pretty" man. From afar, he had looked alright but from this close, he was…let's call it attractive. Admittedly, he also looked good together with Kaoru. They made a—Kenshin had a hard time even saying it in his thoughts—_nice_ couple.

And it killed him. Not in that killing, knife in the heart sense, but it annoyed him. More than the fact Kamatari had called Kaoru "love." He would not let it get to him, though. At least not visibly.

"Kenshin, hun, would you like to try some of the salad?" Mizumi's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Turning to look at her, Kenshin only stared. After Mizumi called him for a second time, he blinked and just nodded.

"So you must be Kenshin!" An excited male voice suddenly spoke from behind him.

In less than five seconds, amethyst/grey eyes met with bright blue ones.

Kenshin frowned. Kamatari smirked.

The games were on.


	10. Chapter 10

**55. Ill Mannered**

Interrogating your best friend's ex as if he was a convict was fine. _Accidentally_ suggesting that his current date is becoming a pain in the behind was actually more than fine—well, this one was justified since she was indeed a biatch. Giving him some spicy sauce instead of ketchup by "mistake" was okay, if not a bit cruel, but okay nonetheless. However, flaunting a non-existent romantic relationship with your soon-to-be former best friend just to spite her ex was disconcerting and frustrating to say the least.

Very frustrating. Especially for soon-to-be former best friend.

As result, Kaoru Kamiya had a mission. A very important one: how to stop Kamatari from making Kenshin believe that they were in a very close, passionate, disgustingly happy relationship.

She appreciated Kamatari's efforts to make Kenshin feel guilty, jealous even, if she wasn't wrong in her assumptions. But the man was creating more trouble than necessary. She would be lying if she didn't want Kenshin to feel bad for his behavior. But that didn't mean Kamatari had to pretend that he was about to marry her or something like that!

She and her best friend were close, yes, but not like that. At least, after the impromptu make-out session a couple of days ago, she didn't think they could be together like that in the future—or ever.

So now, what to do, what to do…

In the last forty-two minutes. Correction. In forty-three minutes and twenty-two seconds, Kamatari had basically been glued to her side. After he introduced himself to Kenshin and his companion, Mizumi, Kamatari didn't only attempt to feed her part of her salad. But also, he was all sweet and touchy. At some point, Kaoru thought that he would kiss her like he did the other day. She almost hurled at the thought.

That Mizumi woman was also acting weird. She would look at her from time to time, as if she was expecting something from her. But then again, she used to date Kenshin…

Kaoru sighed. Her poor head would implode (not explode) anytime soon.

"Are you, okay, love?" Kamatari's voice interrupted her musings. Cool fingers touched her temple and Kaoru closed her eyes.

"You're giving me a headache, Kam." She said honestly, not caring if she made sense or not to others. She knew, however, that Kamatari knew what she was talking about.

"Come on, love. It's not that bad." He whispered to her ears, motioning Kaoru to lay her head against his shoulders as he made himself comfortable at the bench she had decided to sit on.

Kaoru did so, tired of trying to fight against her best friend. He could be exhausting when he was stubborn—just like someone she knew.

Kamatari sat and looked at Kaoru. He knew that he was a bit overzealous with the whole situation, but he couldn't help but feel satisfied at the results. Even if he didn't want to make it apparent, Kamatari had noticed Kenshin's sporadic glances at them, more specifically, at Kaoru. The redhead might have brought a date, but he surely wasn't paying too much attention to her—at least, not since he and Kaoru had come.

And speaking of Kenshin's date, Misao had been right. While she was smart or spoke with a certain degree of intelligence, she came across as a spoiled brat who thought the world was better because of her. It almost seemed as if she was trying to make herself look better now that Kaoru was present.

For example, she didn't need to point out that she had graduated top five at law school, the same Kaoru had graduated from with decent grades. Nor did she need to tell Kaoru that being a law professor (associate, mind you, but at her age, it was praise worthy!) was not as good and lucrative as working for a law firm (like she did), and many other things that nobody really cared about. Of course, all of this was mentioned with much subtlety at any chance during a conversation. Sneaky, ill-mannered biatch.

It didn't matter. His target was the redhead, not the witch he came with.

Kamatari saw Misao approaching them with a smile on her face; however, it rapidly changed as she noticed Kaoru state.

"Is she alright?" The petite woman asked concerned, her voice a bit louder than intended. Almost immediately, Kenshin, who had been trying to teach Mizumi how to play Frisbee (Kamatari had to roll his eyes), turned to look at them as well. "I wanted to know if you guys wanted to play Frisbee with us, but it seems Kao is not fine?"

Kaoru simply waved a hand as she continued to lay her head on Kamatari's shoulder. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired. Let me rest a little and I should be fine." She opened her eyes and smiled at her petite friend for good measure.

"Are you sure?"

"Do as she says, Misao-chan. I'll take care of her." Kamatari suggested. Without even thinking about it, he put his arm around Kaoru and rubbed his cheek against her hair. It was a comforting gesture between the two friends. If people interpreted it differently, it was their problem.

Misao nodded and left the pair.

"I'm still slightly mad at you, Kam." Kaoru's voice reached his ears when Misao was far enough not to hear them.

"Hm…" He hummed as the hand around her was playing with the ends of her hair. "Okay."

"So stop pretending we're more than friends, Kam. Even if he gets jealous, his girlfriend is still here."

Lifting his head, Kam carefully changed his sitting position so Kaoru could fully lay her body on the bench, her head on his lap.

"Whatever, love, whatever."

Inwardly, however, he was grinning like a maniac. Kenshin was certainly throwing daggers at him, even if he was pretending not to care—and was the man good at it!

He figured Misao was already well aware of his intentions. Heck, even spiky-haired Sano had picked up on it, if the secret smile he had shown him upon his arrival had meant anything.

Boy, who would have thought that coming back could be so darn entertaining.


	11. Chapter 11

**77. Experiment**

Sano had to hand it to Kamatari. The man was a _genius_. One that had incredible acting skills.

At the beginning, he truly thought that Kenshin had finally screwed up his chances with Kaoru. This Kamatari guy seemed to be a winner. He was like the second perfect guy, or maybe as perfect as Kenshin was, for Kaoru. But Kamatari, unlike Kenshin, had an unfair—however one could define it—advantage: he knew Kaoru from way back. Kenshin didn't. No matter how long Kenshin had dated Kaoru. No matter how obsessed, devoted, enamored he was with her, he _still_ didn't and couldn't know her like Kamatari did.

So when he saw this new guy and Kaoru hug a couple of weeks ago, Sano _really_ thought Kenshin had definitely lost her.

Guess he was wrong—and that was a good thing. At least in this instance.

He knew that Kaoru was simply the _one_ for Kenshin. She was the right girl for him. Only the stupid idiot was idiot enough to end things with her just because his undeserving ex had suddenly reappeared and wanted to oh-so-get-back together. For the life of him, Sano couldn't get into his brains why in the world Kenshin decided to listen to his ex and start dating her again. The woman had left him because she wanted to pursue her career. If she really cared about their relationship in the first place, she should have _tried_ harder.

Whatever. She was back and annoying the crap out of everyone. Pity that Kenshin didn't notice—or maybe he did but he was doing nothing about it. The little bastard.

In any case, with Kamatari's presence, things were definitely turning extremely entertaining. Whether or not Kaoru noticed, her friendly-touchy-treatment toward Kamatari was driving Kenshin up against the wall. Or at least, it was making him ignore his current date, who had already asked him for the fourth time if he wanted lemonade.

Wearing a Cheshire grin, Sano simply continued observing. If his predictions were correct, by the end of the day, Kamatari's sneaky experiment was going to have a successful outcome.

One unsuspecting male individual, one unknown friendship to said unsuspecting male, and a couple of doses of kisses and hugs, and the final result was almost tangible: a jealous man who would most likely do anything to get what was _his_ back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine**

**54. Prevention**

He was not being nosy. He hadn't purposely told Kamatari to stay with him at the picnic table to clean up while the others played Frisbee so he could question him. He just wanted to make sure that Kaoru was in fact mingling with the right type of people.

Sure, it seemed that she knew this Kamatari guy since… forever… but that didn't mean that the guy was a good one. Right. He was just being a good, protective friend. Yup. And the sky was in fact purple and elephants crossed the Atlantic Ocean using their shiny wings.

"So, what do you do again?" Kenshin asked using what he hoped sounded like a harmless, curious voice.

Kamatari smirked inwardly. "Photography."

"I see"

"Yes. It's something I've loved my entire life. Actually, Kao is responsible for this choice of mine. She was actually my first muse."

Kenshin choked when he heard the last part.

"M-muse?"

"Yes. I remember that faithful day. We were both at the beach and…"

Kenshin's mind was fretting. Kaoru had been this guy's muse. His _muse_. At the beach. Where people usually wear swimsuits or none at all… _Oh Lord_…

"... and there she was sitting. On top of a rock, looking at the horizon. She was so beautiful. Not that she's not beautiful now…"

'Of course she's beautiful now!' Kenshin's mind supplied. 'She has always being beautiful…'

"… so I took a picture of her. For some reason, that image of her, with her glowing skin and serene face, I felt that I needed to capture that kind of beauty every day. It wasn't just how she looked at that moment, but the emotions she was transmitting. It was _very_ memorable."

Kamatari sighed and surreptitiously glanced at Kenshin, who seemed more interested in frowning and staring at something on his feet.

'Sucker.' The word flashed in his mind continuously. With bright neon lights and some fireworks accompanying it.

"What are you talking about?" Kaoru's voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. "Megumi says that you guys should come to join us in the game." Her invitation was supposed to be directed at everyone; however, her sight was focused on Kamatari.

'What has the little devil been saying to Kenshin? The man's brain seems to be imploding at the moment.'

"Nothing, love. Just telling Kenshin how I became a photographer."

"Oh"

"Remember that day at the beach?"

Kaoru nodded. How could _she_ forget. Kamatari had lost a bet, having his car taken away for a week as a result. What the stupid man had forgotten about was that they had arrived to the beach using his car. The one that was _not _with him anymore. They were moneyless and unless they wanted to walk for about thirty miles, they needed to find a solution. Thankfully, the beach they had gone to was very beautiful, and after some very skillful snapshots from her best friend, they sold the pictures to a group of random tourists that had stopped by for some leg stretching (thank goodness).

With some cash, but not enough to get them to where they wanted, they were able to stop a random driver and convince him (well, Kaoru did the convincing—her lawyer abilities had been present from an early age) to get them to the closest town with the promise of paying for some of the gas. There, they called Kamatari's cousin from a payphone and after some begging, she came to pick them up. Of course, that also had a cost. One that Kaoru forced Kamatari to pay on his own since she had had enough.

Seeing him washing his cousin's car and dog (more like chasing a wet dog and then washing him) for three weeks had almost been worth the pain. Almost.

"Yes. It was… _unforgettable_ to say the least."

Kenshin missed the sarcasm in Kaoru's voice and his frown deepened.

"Oh, it was fun, love! Those pictures were gorgeous! People said so!" Kamatari tweaked his friend's nose and sighed dramatically. "If only we had the time to take more."

"You did. A week after."

When his car was back and when she wasn't feeling so miserable. Those pictures of the ocean had been amazing. Splash of gold and red against bright blue and green hues. They had spent the whole afternoon searching for the right locations and the right subjects. Unlike the ones that had been taken during the previous disastrous week, those pictures had more detail and spoke of different emotions on their own. She had even been included in one of them, where she was standing in front of the crashing waves. Kamatari had loved the entire process and mentioned how he could do that his whole life.

"Yes, and you took my breath away in that photograph of you against the waves." Kamatari's voice softened and he brushed a strand of loose hair away from her face.

Kaoru simply shrugged. Well, ego aside, it had been a _very _pretty picture.

Kenshin's observed their interaction and his hands fisted when he saw the tender look Kamatari was giving Kaoru when he mentioned whatever photograph he had taken of her.

So he had used her as his muse. He had observed and captured not only her external but also her internal beauty in an intimate moment. That had been sometime ago. Sometime in the past. And now he was back, holding her hand, sharing stories he didn't know about, calling her 'love' and whatever cheesy name the man could use.

So they seem to be more than just friends. They were close. _Very close_. They shared a story (or stories)—one that was longer than what he had had with her.

So what?

People could develop this kind of friendship and remain as such. As friends. Nothing else, nothing more.

But then again, this Kamataru really knew and understood Kaoru. As if he could read her like he read a book. Hell, he could even anticipate and even control her mood swings. That was a fit that had taken him quite a while to master, and even then. Sometimes it was a lost cause. But not with this guy. He seemed _perfect_ for her.

So damn perfect that in fact, he was starting to think that they might have as well been married for many years now. They looked and acted like an old couple.

Well, as a very good friend, but a very good one, he had the mission to make sure this Kamatari guy hadn't changed at all. That he was indeed perfect for his _friend _Kaoru.

Kenshin Himura was known to be a good man. So as such, he had to prevent his recent ex-girlfriend from getting too close to someone who could be dangerous. Well, dangerous after leaving and coming back to the country.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine, but the story below is.**

**89. Allucinate, 89. Lunatic**

Kaoru didn't know if to laugh, cry, or simply accept the fact that maybe she had suddenly been thrown into the twilight zone.

She needed to complain to someone. That someone was supposed to be Misao. But no, oh no, she had to be on _vacation_ time with her beloved Aoshi. What the eff? Hadn't she just spent a week in Hokkaido with him?

Instead, Kaoru Kamiya, soon to achieve sainthood—she really think she deserved it after this—, was sitting on Sanosuke Sagara's couch talking about her former love interest, her current pretend-love-interest (not by choice), and the interest her former love interest had on pretend-love-interest such that he was _calling_ and _asking_ about him with subtlety (not).

"I don't get it! He's with her! With her! So why is he calling me at night every other night to ask me how I am, how Kamatari is, and whether or not Kamatari is at my place, what we're doing, eating, breathing… I don't know!" Kaoru breathed as she held Sano's shoulders and began to shake him slightly.

With wide-open blue eyes, tight lips, and bangs in disarray, she looked down right scary and like a lunatic.

"Missy…" Sano began to cringe, but was interrupted by the woman's frantic dialogue—or monologue.

"It started right after the picnic… your damn picnic!" Kaoru accused as she directed a glare to the now scared man. "Why did you have to invite Kamatari too? Why?"

"Erhm… Kao…"

"He called on Tuesday night asking if I was alright, if I had liked the picnic. Then he asked if Kamatari liked everyone, if he felt comfortable with the gang. I thought, 'oh well, how nice of him. Maybe we could really establish a good friendship,' right? I mean, some couples do become friends after breaking up, right?" Kaoru asked, not really looking for an answer as she continued her rant.

"After some random chit-chat he hanged up. I thought it was both weird and cute—that he cared. But no, he had to call on Thursday, and then Sunday, and then Tuesday, and today again! I think by now he knows Kamatari likes green like I do, that he had his wisdom teeth taken out at 26, that he loves onigiri but dislikes soba, that his favorite junk food is pizza, that he is a quarter German; that we both went skinny dipping when we were 17… oh Lord! I can't believe I told him that!"

Kaoru didn't notice, but Sano was seriously considering if jumping out of the window behind him was an option. It was just seven floors, not that bad. Granted, he may end up with some broken bones, but nothing his sturdy body couldn't handle. It was that or to try to calm a woman who had clearly lost it the moment she entered his apartment—or maybe before it? Well, he had definitely heard the clear screeching noise of some breaks being used at their fullest. He wouldn't be surprised it was Kaoru parking in front of his building.

"… and then Kenshin asked me if I saw myself getting married with Kam, if I could picture our children together. Then he started saying that I should be careful, that even if Kam was my friend since forever I should be careful because I hadn't constantly seen him for years…"

"Kaoru." Alright, he would try catching her attention one more time. Breaking some bones was painful after all.

"… Then he asked me if my father liked Kamatari. Of course he likes him! His father is my dad's best friend too!"

"Kaoru, sweet…"

"… And he said if we could all—that meaning me, Kam, his girlfriend and him—have dinner together some day. Couple's date he said. I mean, we just broke up and he found another girl. What the fuck!..."

"Kaoru?" His friend had just sworn. While she was not a potty mouth, she didn't just throw that kind of words at any time. Sano thought that perhaps jumping out of the window was a better idea.

"… Why me, Sano. Why? Wasn't it enough that he broke my heart? Now he wants to torment me! Not only him, but Kamatari too! How could he do that? How could he pretend he's in love with me? He's likes men!"

"Kaoru!" The little shout startled Kaoru for a millisecond but she was set on continue her babbling. Nonetheless, she did turn to look at her friend. If he had to yell, it had to be important. Well, maybe. Well, sometimes if it was Sano.

"Yes?" She asked innocently and quietly—as if she hadn't spent the last half hour ranting and shaking her friend's shoulders and head.

"Calm down." Sano said, and when he saw that Kaoru was about to start a new set of rants—but this time due to his request—he immediately added, "Think about it. If Kenshin is basically phone-stalking you, there must be a reason."

Kaoru considered this for a few seconds before she frowned.

"To make my life a living hell?"

Seriously? And then everyone called him an idiot. How could Kaoru be so blind—or naïve. So much for being a lawyer, or a law assistant professor.

"No, Kao dear. Perhaps he still has some feelings for you and is… how to put this… unconsciously jealous?"

Kaoru blinked once, twice, and then started laughing.

"Hey! I'm serious! I guarantee you! He's freaking jealous!"

When her laughter stopped and she wiped some tears from her eyes, Kaoru said in a mocking tone, "Come on, Sano. How can he be jealous if he's the one—the one—who decided to break things up with me? How did he put it? That we, perhaps, weren't meant to be and that he needed to try things out again with his ex."

Kaoru's left eyebrow rose and Sano sighed.

"I'm sure, Kao. You just don't see it."

"Whatever, Sano." Kaoru shrugged and went to search for her cellphone when a ding was heard. She began to hyperventilate just like she had when she had entered Sano's apartment.

"Shit. I have a meeting with my research assistant! How could I forget? Oh my God, I have seventeen minutes to get across town. See what this is doing to me? Do you see it? Why isn't Misao here? She could understand me!"

"Hey!" Sano cried in indignation.

"Sorry Sano. You're great but don't listen well. Gotta go. Thanks!"

And with that, frantic Kaoru Kamiya left Sanosuke Sagara's apartment.

Sano looked both confused and offended.

He dropped his head on his knees.

"I can't believe what just happened," was all he could murmur. He sat up and looked at the door his friend had just closed. "I thought Megumi was bad after a terrible day, but Kaoru is simply terrifying."

He really—really—didn't want a repeat of this afternoon. He had to talk to Kenshin, and soon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine, but the story below is.**

**41. Reminisce, 39. Blow**

_Kaoru was wondering if she should order the red velvet or chocolate ganache cupcake. It was such a hard choice. Maybe she could order both? After all, she wasn't on a diet or anything, and it was cupcakes, darn it! _

_She then surreptitiously glanced at the red head standing next to her ordering a lemon and banana one. In all her dates, Kenshin had been nothing but a gentleman. He was very considerate and let her be—well, almost most of the time. He didn't care about her less than lady-like behavior and didn't mind if she preferred to stay in sweats at her apartment even when he was visiting. So he wouldn't mind if she decided to pig out, even though she had just eaten an entire "burrito" by herself, right? She was hungry and there were c-u-p-c-a-k-e-s for dessert! _

_Looking back at the objects of her internal conundrum she sighed. Why was it so hard? Feeling someone was staring at her, she turned her head and raised an eyebrow at the man smirking at her. _

"_How about we get a box of six? That way you can try different flavors?" _

_The question had just made her night—no, make that week and possibly month. _

_Smiling and nodding frantically, Kaoru took Kenshin's right hand and squeezed it in appreciation._

"_That'd be great! Thank you!" _

_Smiling himself, Kenshin raised the hand that had just touched his and kissed the knuckles. _

_A bit embarrassed, Kaoru looked away only to feel the redhead cup her face so she could look at him. With a brilliant grin, Kenshin simply moved to tweak her nose and then turned to continue their cupcake order. _

_Blushing, Kaoru wondered if she could ever find someone like him—someone that liked her for who and how she was. _

XXXXXXXX

Kaoru blinked as that particular memory came to mind. It had been almost two years since that day and now she could say that, well, she could definitely find someone like him—someone who was an _asshole._

"Would you like to try our new mint-chocolate cupcake with ganache filling?" The lady behind the counter asked her and she only frowned.

"Miss?"

"Sorry. Y-yes... Actually, give me two of that and a vanilla milkshake to go, please." Kaoru pointed at the cup's size and then walked toward the cashier thinking about Kenshin being an asshole.

Well, not an asshole necessarily speaking. Just an idiot who couldn't make up his mind about his ex and to top it all he was also driving her completely insane. Her crazy moment at Sano's the other day had been just an extreme case of desperation.

Who could blame her? Kenshin was really, really driving her up against the wall. Worst of all, even his ex-now-turned-girlfriend had actually called her and asked if she was trying something funny to snatch him back. Like seriously? It was _him_ bothering her! Not the other way around! And to top it all, Kamatari was also becoming increasingly bothersome with his game of let's-pretend-I'm-your-lover.

She could say that all her male friends—sans Sano, and who would believe it!—were trying to outdo each other on making her life miserably confusing and stressful.

Taking her order from the counter, she continued her internal musings not realizing that just as she opened the door to get out of the coffee shop, someone she _didn't_ want to see at the moment was about to get in.

XXXXXXXX

"I think you're overdoing it a bit, Kamatari. If you continue like this, Kaoru will need to be taken to a mental hospital". Misao said between pants as she jogged on the treadmill.

Kamatari, who was walking on the machine beside her, raised a perfectly formed eyebrow. "You think so?"

Rolling her eyes at the man who could be both a drama queen and act like the best boyfriend in the world. "Let's see, you buy flowers for her every week from—oh surprise—the very flower shop that is right across the clinic Kenshin works at. You're at her apartment almost every day and happen to _almost_ always answer her phone calls, most of which now are from Kenshin. Any time we all get together, you come along with or without an invite and drop hints that Kao is the love of your life. If I didn't know what you're up to, I would believe you're _this_ close to propose to her!". The petite woman emphasized by placing her index finger barely above her thumb.

"And what if I am?"

The question made the woman lose her footing and fall on the ongoing treadmill. Hard. Kamatari rushed to her machine and turned it off. Looking down at the face-planted-on-machine woman, he asked, "are you okay?"

"What in the world?! That hurt, damn it!", Misao exclaimed as she sat down and rubbed her nose. "And you!" She looked at the man still staring down at her, "what do you mean by 'what if I am?!'" She basically screamed, ignoring the very few people staring at them at the gym.

Kamatari smirked at the petite woman and lifted his nose in defiance. "Well, since I oh-so-love Kaoru so, but so much, and since she's the love of my life, it makes sense that I'd want to marry her, right?"

Misao scrunched her nose and shook her head. With a bit of difficulty she stood up and glared at the man standing before her, both arms akimbo her waist.

"OK. That's enough. I'm all for 'let's make Kenshin suffer' but this has gone too far. Kaoru is already going ga-ga and this will basically drive her to the nuthouse!"

Kamatari 'tsked' before he raised a finger and swayed it from left to right. "Oh Misao, innocent Misao. Of course I won't actually propose to our dear Kao. I will simply drop hints when Kenshin is around and Kaoru is away. I'm sure he's smart enough to realize when a man is asking for info about how to propose to his beloved." He finished saying with a full-blown grin.

Misao blinked once, twice, and opened her mouth to try to say something but couldn't. A great feat for Kamatari. For the first time since she could remember, Misao was speechless.

"So," Kamatari started as he put his arms around a confused looking Misao, "what stone do you think our Kao would love?"

"Ah..." Misao tried speaking again. So that was the plan. If she ever thought she was queen of devious, she was flat out wrong. Kamatari had taken the crown and all. She only hoped it would work out and not cause more chaos. Kaoru was really fretting and Kenshin—as he was slowly realizing that he was apparently losing the real love of his life—had a very strange (and stalker-ish) way to show that he really cared.

XXXXXXX

As he got out of his last appointment for the afternoon, Kenshin sat down at his desk and stared at his turned-on computer.

Kamatari wanted to host a secret dinner party. One that Kaoru didn't and shouldn't know about. According to the email he received, Kamatari needed to talk to all of her closest friends to ask some important questions. But what?...

Kenshin had spent most of the afternoon thinking about it. What could Karou's bestest-turned-into-lover friend ask about? What did he not know already? It was all so confusing.

From his conversations with Kaoru, he knew that there was pretty much nothing the man could not know about his dear friend. They even went skinny-dipping for Pete's sake! His sweet, innocent Kaoru had actually done it when she was not even legal.

Kenshin paused at that. Kaoru was not his anymore. She was his dear friend and nothing more. She was now Kamatari's.

He frowned. He didn't like how that sounded in his mind. He didn't even like the idea. Kaoru's was no one's. She was a beautiful, smart, generous, independent woman and she wouldn't appreciate it if others thought of her as some kid of possession.

But she had been his. In a way. Her kisses, her hugs, her smiles. Once upon a time, they all had been his to enjoy and love. But then he decided he didn't want them anymore.

His frown deepened. Why? Because an ex-girlfriend who had left him because she had initially thought he wasn't good enough had come back.

He sighed and rested his head against his chair. Did he do right? Was he correct when he assumed Kaoru wasn't what he wanted?

But she had been...

Kenshin shook his head. No. He was already committed to another—as was Kaoru. He had no business in meddling with her affairs anymore...

_Sure... and that's why he kept calling her asking about her lover... _

No. He was simply concerned about her safety. That's all.

And that's why he would go to Kamatari's secret dinner party and see what this lover boy wanted. If his intentions were less than honest with his Kaoru, he would personally make sure the man knew of his errors.

Looking at the monitor again, he sighed. He needed some coffee and he was on his one-hour break. He knew the perfect place where he could get it.

XXXXXXXXX

"Kaoru..."

She was preoccupied but she would never forget that voice, even if her name was barely whispered. Damn it! Why now?!

Lifting her eyes toward dark blue ones, she forced a polite smile onto her face.

"Soujiro! How are you?" Internally, she was whining, but outwardly, she just needed to be enthusiastic. After all, she hadn't seen him in, well, six years?

Soujiro, or the man who once upon a time had decided Kaoru was the love of his life and couldn't let go of her even when she had broken up the relationship, was standing there before her. As perfect, as sweet, and as surprised as she had last seen him long ago.

"Kaoru..." He said again. He cleared his throat and tried, "I'm good. It's been so long... how—how are you?"

Noticing that maybe they were blocking the door, Kaoru moved aside and kept her smiling visage.

"Great!" She said a bit too happy. "It's been quite some time. Are you back in Tokyo?" Internally, Kaoru winced. _Great going. Keep talking until he thinks you're into him again_. She thought.

"Yes. I... Well, I missed the city. Erh... I know it's being quite some time, but... erh... would you like to have some coffee with me. Sometime? I mean, if you can... well..." Soujiro kept babbling and Kaoru had to internally roll her eyes.

Yup, as nervous and sweet as ever. Damn it. This was something she didn't need right now. She must have really pissed someone—or something—off in her previous life.

"Actually, how about I email you? It's the same one right? I gotta run... I... I have to meet my fiancé!" She practically screamed as she practically sprinted away from the shocked man.

"Oh bloody hell. What have I done? Now I'll really have to act all lovey dovey with Kamatari!" Kaoru mused as she continued _sprinting_ away without looking back.

And that's how, instead of leaving only one confused and shocked male, Kaoru Kamiya surprised the hell out of two men who were interested in her.

She must have pissed off a deity instead of a simple mortal.

**Author's note: ** The title says it is a soap opera, so... And apologies for any mistakes. Checked the doc but not sure if all mistakes were/are corrected.


End file.
